Underframe for cars



Patenwagrune'zo, 1922;

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET vI.

R. R.v WEAVER. UNDERFRAME Foa CARS. l APPLICATION FILED OCT. I?, 1921. 1,--420,352.

R. R. WEAVER.

UNDERFRAME Fos cAns.

` APPLICATION FILED OCT I7 |921.

1 ,420,352. Patented June 20, 1922.

2 SHEETVS-SHEE'IZ.

Fieri?! ROBERT R. VEAVER, 0F C IICGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 GENERAL' AMERICAN TANK n CAR COR-FORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

impairment/rn son vcans.

Specification 0I" Letters Patent. i laigqgntd Jung' 20, 1922.

Application filed October 1,7, 1921.- Serial No. 508,139.v i

My invention relates, more particularly, to

under-frames of cars, formedy with a so called center sill which extends lengthwise ot the car and substantially midway between 'i tlie opposite sides thereoi3 and of the so called .L-type comprising horizontally-spaced side walls having upwarally-converging por tions operatively secured together at their upper extremities substantially coincident with the center line of the sill.

rl`lie particular type of center sill referredV to is more commonly used in railway cars oiE the drop-bottoni type wherein the bottom of the car is formed ot' a series ofplates generally one series at each side of the center line or" the car and hingedly supported to the center sill substantially at the center line, the center sill being formed with the upwardlytapering portions, as stated, for the purpose of rendering the upper surface or the sill, of as narrow a width as possible in ordento permit of the hingiiig of the door-forming plates, as close to the center line of the car as possible and to reduce as much as possible the presentation by the center sill of a sur-pv face upon which the material loaded into the car mayV be retained in the dumping operation. A`

In tlie designing ot cars yhaving underifraines iornied with centersills of the type referred to, and especially drop-bottom cars,

a number ot' conditions are presented. It is not possible to vselect ior different constructions of cars of the type referred to a center sill oip4 a. standard depth, asy the depth of sill required to be used varies, depending upon the particular design of car.` It is also necessary that the lower portion of the sill be made of such strength as to adequately resist the tensile stresses to which it is subjected in use. The provision oit the upwardly-tapering side walls of the center sill, which should not extend at less than 45o, greatly weakens the uppery compression zone ot the sill. Furthermore, it is highly desirable that, regardless ot the depth ott sill required to be used i'or any particular construction, the metal of the sill be so.l dis- 1 posed that the neutral axisofthe sill shall lie substantially midway between the topy Y and bottom surfaces ofthe sill in order to .A

cause the sill to present equal strength on both the compression and tension sides.

, My primary object, generally stated, is to provide a novel and simple constructionof f under-trame involving a ycenter sill of the type referredY to the neutral aXis 'of which will extend substantially midway between the upper and lower surfaces of the sill; to

provide for the stiii'eniiig of the' upper, compressioin'Zone ofthe :beam to the desired extent by the use `of structural members' which are provided in standard sizes adapt-A ing them, when assembled with the other parts of the center sill, to afford at the conipression zone vof the sill the necessary amount j of metal toV cause the neutral'axisy` of .the

silly to extend substantially midway betweenf the top andbottom oiE the sill, Vregardless of vthe particular depth of sill requiredl to be used; another object is to provide adequate reentorcement; toovercome .the weakness presented by the sill `due to its upwardly-tapering side portions; and. Vgenerally toso improve sills of the type referred to that they willbe betterr adapted for re'- sisting stresses to whichthey are subjected in use.` y

y Referringtov the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a broken plan view ot one end oit a car under-'trame embodying my invensection takenv at the line 2 on Fig. land viewed .in the direction ot the arrow. Figure 3 is an enlarged section takenat the line 3 on Fig. l and viewed inthe direction of the arrow, this view including the door'- forming plates, paitly'broken away, at the point ywhere thesection is taken. Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the center sill of the structure of Fig. 1,:the section being taken intermediate the cross members of the under-frame. Figure 5 is'a v view inside velevation of a' portion ofthe:

center sill, the .portion shown being located at one of the cross-members of the under- Jframe, the parts of the'structure shown in this figure, other than the center. sillproper, being shown in section, tlie section being` ino taken coincident with the center line of the sill; Figure 6 is a broken section taken at the line 6 on Fig. 5 and viewed in the direction of the arrow, showing a spreader element employed at the part oi the center sill coinci-` shown in Fig. 1, the center sill of the underframe therein shown is represented genen ally .at 8, and connected with this center sill, .to extend transversely thereof and in spaced relation to each other, is a series of cross-frame members, the one of these end members at the end 'of the car shown in Fig. 1 being representedat 10, a bolsterforming cross-frame member at 11, it being understood that the members 10 and 11 would be duplicated at the other end of the frame, and intermediate cross-frame members at 12. The ends ot the cross-mem'- bers 10, 11 and 12 are connected with angle iron side-frame members 13 in accordance with common piactice, the side walls (not shown) of the car being secured to the marginal portions of the framework thus' provided.

The car shown is of the drop-bottom type, its bottom being formed of two series of plates arranged at opposite sides of the center line of the car and hingedly kconnected therewith to swing from substantially liorikzontal carrying position, to downwardlvinclined, dumping position, each series of plates extending lengthwise of the car frame and being located within the spaces provided between the center sill 8, the side members y13, and the various cross-members 10, 11 and 12. The center sill structure shown, which is of box girder form and of the ift-type is formed of a pair of metal members 14 which extend lengthwise oi. the car frame and v parallel with each other. Each of the members 141- is formed of a substantially vertical side portion 15 reenforced at its lower edge by an angle iron 1G secured against its outer face as by rivets 17, the lower, horizontal, franges 18 of these angle irons projecting outwardly. Each member 15 is also provided with an upwardly and inwardly-tapering plate portion 19 extending throughout the length of the sill and terminating at its upper edge in a substantially vertically extending platelike portion 2O likewise extending the full length of the sill. The members 15 are arranged as shown relative to each other to cause their inclined portions 19 to converge upwardly toward the center line of the sill, and theirr portions 2O to flatwise oppose eachl other as shown. The center sill also com- `crises a structuralmetal beam 21 of l-shape in cross-section which extends at its web portion 22 between the portions 2G of the members 14, the portions 2O fitting flatwise against this web at pposite sides thereof andbeing secured thereto as by the rivetsrepresented at 23 which extend through the portions 2O and the web 22, the upper flange 24 of the beam 21. being located in a plane above the upper edges of the portions 2O as shown, the beam 21 extending the full length of the sill.

Located within the structure above described of the sill, is a series oi spreader elements represented at 25, these spreader VYelements, which extend transversely .of tie sill and are located at intervals Valong' the sill, being positioned therein coincident with the various cross-frame members referred to. The spreader elements 25 are preferably of the box-.like form shown and are preferably of' integral construction, affording a lower member 26 the bottom of which preferably extends flush with the undei1 faces' of the flanges 18 and the under surface of the portions 15 of the members 14a. upright side portions 7 which extend fiatwise against the side portions 15, upwardlyconverging portions 28 which conformingly fit against the lower portions of. 'the con-` verging walls 19 of the sill, a top portion 29 which extends substantially horizontal and fits against the bottom of' the lower flange 30 of the -beam 21, and a plate-portion 31 frein which the various portions 26, 27, 28 and 29 extend at an angle and with which they are preferably integrally formed.

The various cross-frame members referred t o are of the same general construction, one of the intermediate cross-frame members 12 being shown in detail and comprising plate-like portions 32 the inner ends of which, hanged at 33, conformingly fit against the sides of the center sill, as represented more particularly in Fig. 2, and to which they are riveted, by the rivets represented at 341-, and BG, the rivets 8dextending through apertures 3T in the sides 27 ofthe sprcaders, apertures 38 in the sideportions .15 of the sills and throughV apertures 39 in the flanges 83; the rivets 35 extending through apertures 40 in the side portions 27 of the spreaders, and openings in the side portions 15 of the sills and in the vertical flanges of the bars 16, and through openings in tfie flanges 33'; and the rivets 36' extending through openings in the horizontal flanges 18 of the bars 1G, openings in the 'lianges 83, and Y also through a strap member hereinafter referred to. The sections 32 are arranged in end to end alining relation, as shown, and extending from one to the other of these sections at their under sides and across the under sides of the center sill and the lOO spreader element, is the strap portion above referred to and represented at 41, this strap portion being riveted at its ends to' flanges 42 provided on the lower edges of the sections 32, as represented at 4B. The strap portion 41 is also riveted to the horizontal flanges 18 of the bars 16 as by means of the rivets 36 extending through the flanges 42 and 18 and the strap memberY 41, and is riveted to the lower member 26 of the spreader element as by the rivets indicated at 45. The spreader elements are also rigidly connected at their portions 29 with the lower vflange 30 of the beam 21, as by rivets 46 passing through these parts.

Each cross-,frame member referred to is also formed with a plate-section 47 which extends from one side bar 13 to the other thereof, overlapping the horizontal flanges 48 of the latter to which they are secured as Aby rivets 49 which pass through these parts and flanges 50 provided on the upper edges of the sections 32, the member 47 being riveted at other places, at intervals, to the flange 50, as represented at 51.

The movable plates hereinbefore referred to and forming the bottom of the car are represented at 52, two only of these plates being shown, these plates being hingedly connected with the center sill to extend at opposite sides thereof as shown in Fig. 3, as through the medium of the brackets 53 riveted, as indicated at 54, to the portions 19 and 2O of the center sill and carrying pivot pins 55 which engage depending anges 56 on the door sections 52, the arrangementl of the doors and the hing-ing means referred to being such, as shown, that "when the doors are in substantially horizontal position, as represented in Fig. 3, they will form with the upperflange 24 of the beam 21 and the plate portions 47,A a continuous bottom for the car, and are capable of swinging to outwardly and downwardly-inclined position to dump the contents of the car at the sides of the latter, the way in which these doors are releasably held in horizontal position and released to effect dumping not being shown as such are well known in the art and form no part of the present invention.

It will be understood that by providing the I-beams in the upper zone of the center sill, this zone may be caused to present the necessary amount of metal to render the tensile and compression zones of the sill substantially equalized, with the neutral axis of the sill extending substantially midway between the top and bottom surfaces ofthe sill. This result may be accomplished regardless of the depth of sill rendered necessary for any particular construction of car, by the utilization of standard Lbeams, which constructed in widely varying proport-ions including a wide variation in depth of web portions, whereby it is not necessaryv to especially roll these reenforcing .members;

Furthermore, the provision of thespreader elements V25 connected with the other parts of the center sill is of advantage as they greatly strengthen the walls 19 of the sill, the lower flange 30 of the beam 21 affording a very desirable place of attachment for the spreader elements enhancing the stiftening function' as well as aiding in the resisting of compression and tensile stresses in the upper Zone of the sill, it being readily understood that the spreader elements oper'- ate to transfer-the load imposed thereon to the vertical side portions 15 of the sill.

It' will also be observed that by arranging the various parts of the frame as shown and described, the frame including the center sill is rendered highly resistant to the many stresses to which it is subjected in use.

lVhile I have illustrated and described a particular construction involving my Vinvention, do not wish to be understoodas .intending to limit it thereto as the same may be variously modifiedand altered without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Whatl claim as new and desire .to secure by Letters'Patent is:

stantially the full length of the car and formed with sidewalls at its upper portion spaced apart a less distance than the width of the sill at its lower portion, and a beam having upper and lower flanges extending longitudinally of the sill substantiallythe full length of the car and interposed 'at its web portion between the upper portions of` said side walls and secured to said side walls.

v2. A center sillffor a car extending substantially the full length of the car and formed with side walls' at its upper portion spaced apart a less distance than the width of said sill at its lower portion, and an beam having upper and lower flanges, extending longitudinally of the sill substantially the full length of the car and inter-V posed at its web portion between the upper portions of said side walls and secured to said side walls. VV Y 3. A center sill for 'a car extending substantially the full length of the car and formed ofside walls spaced apart, the upper portions of said walls being spaced apart a less distance than the lower portions thereof,V and a beam having upper and lower flanges extending longitudinally of the sill and interposed at its web portion between Ythe upper portions of said side walls and secured to said side walls, with its lower flange located between said side walls.

4. A center sill for a car extending sub-V stantially the full length of the car and formed of side walls spaced apart, the upper 1. A center sill for a car extending subportions of said walls being spaced apart a less distance than the lower portions thereoitf, and an I-beain having upper and lower' 'flanges extendinc` longitudinally ot the sill and interposed at its web portion between the upper portions otsaid side walls and secured to said side walls, with its lower flange located between said side walls.

5. A center sill for a car extending substantially the full length ot the car and formed with side walls converging upwardly towardsthe center line of the sill, and a beam extending substantially the full length of the car and having upper and lower lianges extending longitudinally or the sill and interposed at its web portion between the upper portions of'said side walls and secured to said side walls.

6. A center sill for a car formed as a hollow lstructure comprising side walls which are spaced apart at the upper portion of the sill a less distance than the width of said sill at its lower portion, a reinforcing bar extending lengthwise of said sill at the upperV portion of the latter, and a series of spreader-elements located between said side walls and directly connected with said bar.

7. A center sill for a car formed as a hol- Vlow structure comprising side walls which are spaced apart at the upper portion of the sill a less distance than the width of said sill at its lower portion, a reinforcing bar having upper and lower flanges, said bar eX- tending lengthwise of said sill and located at the upper portion thereof and a series of spreader-elements located between said side walls, said spreader-elements being' connected with said side walls and with the `lower flange of said bar.

and secured to said side walls, and a series oi spreader-eleinents located between said side walls and connected therewith and with the lower flange or' said l-beani.

S). An underiiraine Yfor a car formed otra center sill structure and cross Y[traine inernbers extending crosswise of said sill, ineans connecting said cross ifi-anic rnenibers to said sill, said sill being Ylorrned with side walls and a reinforcing bar extending lengthwise thereof and connected therewith along the upper portion of the sill, and spreader-ela nients located between said side walls and connected with the lower vflange of said bar.

l0. ln a car underfraine,the combination of a center sill structure and cross frame ineinbers connected therewith at intervals, said center sill structure comprising side walls converging upwardly at their upper' portions and terminating in substantially vertical portions, an l-beani extending lengthwise ot the sill and interposed at its web portion between the upper extremities of said side walls and connected with the latter, and spreader-elements locatedY between said side walls and conforniingly iitting interior surfaces thereof and connected at their upper portions with the lower flange of said I-beani in flatwise opposed relation thereto, said crosstrarne ineinbers being each formed in sections located at the opposite sides of said sill and secured at their inner ends to said sill. Y

1l. A center sill for a'car orined as a hollow structure comprising side walls which are spaced apart at the upper portion of the sill a less distancethan the width of sill at its lower portion, a reenforcing -bearn in-` terposed at its web portion between saidside said side walls and connected therewith andA with the lower flange of said Lbeain.

ROBERT R. WEAVER. 

